Black Sea Shipping Under Threat as Turkey Condemns Latest Attacks
ISTANBUL — Turkish officials said Tuesday that a drone attack on two civilian vessels in the Black Sea had left crew members injured, prompting Ankara to condemn the escalating conflict affecting shipping in the region.
The foreign ministry said the ships were attacked after leaving the Russian port of Novorossiysk late on Monday and that several personnel were wounded. “Their situation is being closely monitored,” the ministry said.
“We are deeply concerned about the escalating conflict between Russia and Ukraine in the Black Sea, which is affecting civilian shipping despite our numerous warnings,” the ministry added. It called on all parties to implement concrete measures to ensure navigation safety and warned that food supplies could be affected otherwise.
According to monitoring site MarineTraffic, the two ships — identified by the ministry as Yasar and Nadezhda — sail under Panamanian and Cameroonian flags respectively but are owned by Turkish companies.
Russia and Ukraine have been stepping up strikes on cargo vessels for weeks. A Turkish fishing vessel was attacked in late June near Crimea, leaving one dead and four injured. At the end of May, Turkey warned of an “uncontrolled escalation” after a drone attack on a Turkish cargo ship, which the Ukrainian navy claimed was carried out by Russia.
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